


Ignorance is Bliss

by theskywasblue



Series: 12 Days of Christmas Challenge [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-17
Updated: 2010-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-09 12:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theskywasblue/pseuds/theskywasblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don't drink the eggnog</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ignorance is Bliss

**Author's Note:**

> For the 2006 12 Days of Christmas challenge on the kakairu community at Livejournal

The sensei's annual Christmas party always involved at the very least one of three potentially life-threatening events: Gai prancing around in a Santa suit, Anko attacking anything that moved with garlands of mistletoe, or Genma making things – usually the bowl of punch – explode.

The fault for this and other harrowing adventures, including but not limited to karaoke battles, strip poker competitions, and groups of nearly naked sensei racing through Konoha's streets, rests squarely on the shoulders of Mitarashi Anko, who makes the best – and most dangerous – eggnog in all of Konoha.

"Anko's Famous Eggnog", as it is commonly called, has been known to make even the most stoic of ninja lose all inhibition and break out in song.

Incidentally, Ibiki's singing voice could be a torture technique all of its own.

There is an unspoken agreement that no one mentions the party on the morning after – or the week after, or the month after. This agreement is largely held up because no one can remember what actually happened, or if they can, there is nothing in their memory that they want to admit to in public.

Kakashi has never liked eggnog.

Of course, it would be unwise to be caught not drinking "Anko's Famous Eggnog" at the Christmas party – the last time Raidou tried, he was pinned down by a horde of ninja and had the vile concoction literally poured down his throat. Kakashi has thus developed 101 stealthy ways to _appear_ to be drinking eggnog. He has skilfully emptied his glass into potted plants, switched his full glass with the slightly empty glasses of drunken companions, gradually whittling it down to nothing; he has even used creative water jutsu to disguise the contents of his glass as Christmas ornaments – there are no words to describe the look of outrage on Kurenai's face the year before last when she discovered no less than half her tree covered in congealing eggnog.

Of course, she still doesn't know who to blame, which is probably for the best.

It is also for the best that no one is aware that Kakashi does not drink the eggnog – and even better that no one knows he has a habit of bringing a pocket camera to the party.

Over the years he has amassed an entire safety deposit box at the Konoha bank full of pictures of his fellow ninja in compromising positions.

On the first Christmas that he and Iruka spend as a couple, and not just 'two guys who might be dating', Kakashi shares the pictures as a gesture of – well, love certainly, but other things as well, like trust and a desire to have Iruka be a part of his strange little world.

Despite what one might think, and what Iruka certainly thinks – and despite the fact that the occasional photo might find its way into a birthday card or mailbox – Kakashi does not use the pictures he takes of his colleagues – friends – in their underwear, or with lampshades on their heads, or snuggling up with a certain someone they vowed never to give the time of day to, as blackmail material.

Every photo contains faces that have changed with the years, acquired wrinkles and scars. Some contain faces that will never be seen again in this life.

But he does not keep these pictures in order to mourn over them either. He keeps them so that he will have something to look back on in the darkest days and think 'there was a time when we were all happy enough to make complete fools out of ourselves and not even care.'

And he keeps them so that he can look at each and every one of his friends and colleagues, smile his best 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' smile, and really mean it.

-End-


End file.
